Heroin (Diacetyl morphine)
Heroin is an opioid drug made from morphine. Heroin is white or brown powder which grows in Mexico, Asia, and South America. Common street names of heroin is smack, big H, blacktar, brown sugar, dope, horse, junk, mud, skag.
Preparation
Morphine is heated with acetic anhydride at 90’C for about 5hrs. Then heated substances are separated from the solution by neutralizing the solution with sodium carbonate.
The final product is separated out as a precipitate. It can be in white, brown, or black colour it depends on refining process.
Chemical Structure
People use heroin
People inject, sniff, snort, or smoke heroine. Some people mix heroin with crack cocaine and some mix with water and inject with needle.
Effects of Heroin
The major effects from Heroin includes heart infections, miscarriages, low breathing, vomiting, diarrhoea and risk getting infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. Collapsed veins for people who inject the drug. Damaged tissue inside the nose for people who sniff or snort it. Mental disorders such as depression and antisocial personality disorder.
Chemical Analysis
Colour test
- Marquis Crystal test – Gives Purple colour
- Frohde’s Reagent – Gives purple colour which changes to Olive green colour
Micro-crystal test
Platinum chloride and mercuric chloride give characteristic crystal
Confirmatory test
- Thin layer chromatography
- UV and IR Absorption spectra
- Gas chromatography
- Microscopical analysis